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Cabell County Schools elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Cabell County Schools School Board were up for general election on May 10, 2016. In his bid for re-election, incumbent Garland "Skip" Parsons ran against four challengers—Scott Caserta, Gordon Ramey II, Austin Sanders and Denis Chapman.[1][2] Parsons won re-election, and Ramey won the open seat.[3]
Though the election was held at large, only two members from the same geographical district could be on the board during a given term. Parsons and Caserta were from District 4. Chapman and Ramey were from District 2, and Sanders was from District 1.[1][4] The three members of the board not up for election in 2016 were from Districts 1, 2, and 4. That meant that only one candidate from each of those districts could win election to the board, which pinned Parsons and Caserta against each other and Chapman and Ramey against each other.[2] Though Caserta received more votes than Ramey, he did not receive enough to defeat Parsons, which gave Ramey the chance to take the seat.[3][5]
This race followed the district's 2014 election by adding new blood to the board without defeating incumbents. See how else this race compared to past school board elections in both the district and the state in the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Cabell County School Board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected at large, but they represent different geographical districts. No more than two members elected from any district may serve on the board during a given term. Primary elections are not used in West Virginia school board elections.[4] Three seats were up for general election on May 13, 2014, and two seats were up for general election on May 10, 2016.[6]
To run in this election, candidates had to file with the Cabell County Clerk's Office by January 30, 2016.[7] Candidates also had to be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or GED and be residents of the county. The cost to file for this election was $25.00.[8]
To vote in the election, district residents had to register by April 19, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in West Virginia.
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Cabell County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Garland "Skip" Parsons Incumbent |
31.03% | 8,924 |
| Scott Caserta | 24.02% | 6,907 |
| Gordon Ramey II |
17.70% | 5,089 |
| Denis Chapman | 16.79% | 4,827 |
| Austin Sanders | 10.35% | 2,976 |
| Write-in votes | 0.11% | 33 |
| Total Votes | 28,756 | |
| Source: Cabell County Clerk, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed May 27, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Garland "Skip" Parsons 
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Scott Caserta | Denis Chapman | |||
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| Gordon Ramey II
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Austin Sanders | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2016
The Cabell County Schools election shared the ballot with the state's presidential primary election as well as primary elections for a seat on the U.S. House of Representatives and five state executive offices: governor, attorney general, treasurer, auditor and agriculture commissioner. Primary elections for one State Senate seat and two House of Delegates seats were also on the ballot.[7][9][10][11]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for West Virginia school board elections in 2016:[7][12]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 - January 30, 2016 | Candidate filing period |
| April 1, 2016 | First campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 19, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 27, 2016 - May 7, 2016 | Early voting period |
| April 29, 2016 | Pre-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 10, 2016 | Election Day |
| June 21, 2016 | Post-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| July 1, 2016 | Board members take office |
Endorsements
Incumbent Garland "Skip" Parsons and challenger Denis Chapman were endorsed by The Herald-Dispatch and the Cabell County Education Association Political Action Committee.[13][14]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
The Cabell County Clerk's Office does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. Ballotpedia requested this information, but the county did not provide it.
The first campaign finance reporting deadline for this election was April 1, 2016. If the total of all of a candidate's financial transactions did not exceed $500 at that time, a waiver could be submitted in lieu of the report. All candidates had to file a pre-primary report with the county clerk's office by April 29, 2016, and a post-primary report by June 21, 2016.[12][15]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Candidates discuss issues facing district
The five candidates in this race discussed the issues facing the district with The Herald-Dispatch, such as the budgetary issues involved with the reductions in force (RIFS) that the district announced in February 2016 due to an anticipated loss of $2.6 million for the 2016-2017 school year. They also discussed how to attract and retain good teachers and the qualifications they would like to see in a new superintendent, as Superintendent Bill Smith unofficially announced he would not renew his contract after 2017.[16]
Every candidate agreed that the state of the budget would provide a number of obstacles for the board of education in the next school year. Incumbent Garland "Skip" Parsons spoke of his experience with the RIFs, saying they were one of the hardest decisions he had had to make as a board member. "When we are presented with RIFs and transfers, state law says that you must pass the superintendent recommendations," said Parsons. "I don't like the word 'must'; I should have the right to say yes or no."[16]
Parsons suggested that the board go through the budget line by line in order "to find what the school system can and can't do without," according to The Herald-Dispatch. Challenger Austin Sanders suggested looking at how money was spent on administrative positions. "We have far too many people at the administration level and not enough resources going toward the classrooms," said Sanders.[16]
Challenger Gordon Ramey II said that the budget had to be trimmed without affecting education quality or resources. "One way to help do this would be to form a committee of educators, parents and even some students and see what their thoughts are on how the money should be spent or how the budget could be reduced without lowering the quality of education," said Ramey.[16]
Challengers Denis Chapman and Scott Caserta both mentioned the role of the state in school district budgets. Caserta asserted that there should be no budget cuts for school districts, saying, "It's only a matter of prioritizing the needs of the state." Chapman suggested that the district communicate with the West Virginia State Legislature in order to "make sure they understand the problems they are causing not only in Cabell County Schools but in school systems across the state."[16]
On the topic of teacher retention and pay, the candidates agreed that the district's low pay had caused some teachers to leave the state for better jobs. "If we can't find a way to give our teachers a raise, then they are going to go to Ohio or Kentucky," Parsons said.[16]
Ramey said, "We need to be able to reward our teachers for the quality work they are doing, but we have to work within our budget to do so." Chapman agreed, saying that before pay was raised, the board would have to ensure there was money to continue that pay for years to come. "I think with good stewardship, the money could be found to do a modest pay increase," Chapman said.[16]
Some candidates expressed frustration at a state law that required board members to consider seniority when issuing RIFs or transfers, as the board had to do in February 2016. "Just because one teacher may have 35 years of experience, that doesn't mean they're a better teacher than someone that has worked one or two years," said Parsons. Sanders agreed, saying, "What we have to do is assess the teachers not based on the length that they have been employed, but assess what qualities they bring to the classroom."[16]
When discussing the qualifications he would like to see in the district's next superintendent, Parsons said, "Smith has been a very strong superintendent, and the person that we select to come after him will need to be strong as well." Ramey said he would look for a leader with integrity who could also be flexible and dependable. "Integrity is important because when that person reports back to the board, they need to be able to give us straight talk," said Ramey.[16]
"One of the most important things is that they are interested in continuing the current programs and can work on developing new education programs," Chapman said. He and Parsons agreed that the next superintendent would also have to be good with the public.[16]
"We need someone that is willing to get to know our school system and capable of taking a bold approach to the unique set of challenges our county schools face," Sanders said.[16]
Issues in the district
District middle school tries 'reverse suspension' method for misbehaving students
Cabell County's Huntington East Middle School started a new program for misbehaving students school officials call "reverse suspension." When a student gets into trouble for non-violent, non-verbally abusive behavior, that student's parents are invited to attend school, staying by their child's side for an entire day.[17]
The practice brought school suspensions down by two-thirds and cut bad behavior incidents in half, according to the school's Principal Frank Barnett. He said that approximately 30 families had participated in reverse suspensions in the 2015-2016 school year.[17]
School board unanimously approves layoffs and transfers
The Cabell County Board of Education unanimously approved 61 layoffs and 97 transfers for professional and service personnel in the 2016-2017 school year at a February 2016 meeting. The "reductions in force" (RIFs) were in response to a drop in state funding as well as a drop in student enrollment. Taken together, those funding measures created an anticipated loss of $2.6 million for the district's 2016-2017 school year. Cabell County Superintendent William Smith said the drop in student enrollment was a new problem for the district. Enrollment had increased for the past eight years, but for the 2015-2016 school year, it dropped by 160 students.[18][19]
At the time of the announcement, the board hoped some of the RIFs would be mitigated by Title I federal funding, but that funding had not yet been announced.[18] Smith said, "The cuts you may see will not be affecting the instructional program. We may look at delaying repair on the roof, or some other structural issues we have in the district. But not in the instructional program. That would be the last thing we'd try to cut."[19]
Other school districts in the state were affected by declining enrollment and decreased state funding. The Kanawha County Board of Education announced there would be layoffs. In that district, 25 employees were let go at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.[20] Wood County Schools also announced layoffs due to declining enrollment. In that district, 54 employees were let go at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.[21]
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
One new board member was elected to the board in the general election on May 10, 2016. There was the potential for a second one to join as well, but a challenger would have had to defeat the only incumbent in the race, and none did. Though two newcomers were elected to the board in the 2014 elections, no incumbents were defeated that year either. The new members took two open seats after two incumbents decided not to run for re-election.
The 2016 election's average of 2.5 candidates per seat was slightly higher than the average of two candidates who ran per seat in the district's 2010, 2012, and 2014 elections. The district's 2014 election garnered a higher average number of candidates than the average of 1.86 who ran per school board seat on the ballot in West Virginia's largest school districts in 2014.
No school board seat in Cabell County school district's elections in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 was unopposed. Overall in West Virginia, 10.71 percent of seats were unopposed in 2014.
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Cabell County Schools, West Virginia
Cabell County Schools is located in Cabell County in western West Virginia. The county seat is Huntington. Cabell County was home to 97,109 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[22] The district was the fifth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 12,335 students.[23]
Demographics
Cabell County outperformed West Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 25.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 18.3 percent of state residents. The median household income in Cabell County was $38,374, compared to $41,043 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 22.2 percent, while it was 17.9 percent statewide.[22]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Cabell County Schools' 'West Virginia'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Cabell County Schools | West Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cabell County Clerk, "2016 Candidate Filings," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cabell County Schools, "Board," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cabell County Clerk, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed May 10, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 West Virginia Legislature, "Chapter 18. Education: Article 5. County Board Of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ The Herald-Dispatch, "Live Election Night Results," accessed May 10, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Phone communication with Cabell County Voter Registration Department," June 18, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 West Virginia Election Dates and Deadlines," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Senate District Maps - 2010 Plan," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "House of Delegates District Map," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Campaign Finance Report Deadlines," accessed February 24, 2016
- ↑ The Herald-Dispatch, "Editorial: Chapman, Parsons merit election to school board," April 25, 2016
- ↑ The Herald-Dispatch, "Campaign Trails: Groups announce endorsements for W.Va. candidates," April 19, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Best Practices Guide for Campaign Finance," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ 16.00 16.01 16.02 16.03 16.04 16.05 16.06 16.07 16.08 16.09 16.10 The Herald-Dispatch, "Cabell BOE candidates ready to tackle issues," April 15, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Blaze, "Middle School Reduces Bad Behavior Dramatically With ‘Reverse Suspensions’ That Invite Parents to School When Students Misbehave," May 2, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Herald-Dispatch, "Cabell school board approves layoffs, transfers," February 24, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 WSAZ, "Cabell County Schools plan job cuts and transfers," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Metro News, "Kanawha County Schools to layoff 25 employees at school year’s end," February 18, 2016
- ↑ The News Center, "Update: Wood County "RIF's" Continue," February 24, 2015
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 United States Census Bureau, "Cabell County, West Virginia," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Totals," accessed February 8, 2016
| 2016 Cabell County Schools Elections | |
| Cabell County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Garland "Skip" Parsons • Scott Caserta • Denis Chapman • Gordon Ramey II • Austin Sanders |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
